by Ahmed E. Souaiaia*
Earlier
this month, Vice
President Joe Biden
angered some Middle Eastern leaders by making a true statement. Speaking at
Harvard, Biden said that the U.S. allies were determined to overthrow Bashar
al-Assad from power so they “poured hundreds of millions dollars, and tens
thousands of tons of weapons into anyone who would fight against al-Assad,
accepted the people who would be in supply for al-Nusra and al-Qaeda and
extremist elements of jihadists coming from other parts of the world.” Known
for his blunt statements, Biden flatly admitted that U.S. “biggest problem is
our allies. Our allies in the region were our largest problem in Syria. The
Turks… the Saudis, the Emiratis, etc...”
The White House, under pressure to keep the fragile anti-ISIL
alliance together, tried to limit the damage of these extraordinary admissions,
first published the transcript of the Vice President’s lecture without these
statements (they were said during the Q&A session). When the video clip of the Vice President’s remarks made its way to the Internet,
Biden spent the next couple of days calling Turkish and Emirati leaders to
clarify his comments and offer qualified apologies. Biden should not have apologized;
he should have warned them of the dire consequences of their reckless and
criminal actions.
Despite his efforts, Turkey is still refusing to help stop
the genocide that is happening near its border by refusing to allow volunteers to
cross to Syria to help defend Kobane and by denying residents who are still inside the city resisting
ISIL attacks weapons and food. Before he would do any of that, Erdogan wants
the West to establish a buffer zone within Syria allegedly to house refugees.
In reality, he wants to establish a no-fly zone in northern Syria to help
Syrian armed groups, including ISIL and al-Nusra, overthrow the Syrian
government. In other words, he does not want to weaken ISIL unless the Syrian
government is even weaker or better yet, overthrown. He does not seem to care
who would take over as long as Assad is out. Erdogan repeatedly stated that his priority is to overthrow Assad, not fight ISIL and similar
extremist groups.
When Turkish citizens protested his callousness, he ordered
his security forces to do whatever it takes to impose order, killing 32
civilians as of October 11. Erdogan, who allowed foreign fighters and weapons
to cross into Syria to fight the Syrian government, is now refusing to allow Syrians
to cross the border to protect civilians against the genocidal ISIL fighters. He
claimed that the protesters are PKK terrorists. He uses brute force to kill
Kurds who are fighting for cultural, political, and economic rights but he
condemns the Syrian and Iraqi governments for fighting genocidal
groups determined to purge their countries from Alawites, Christians, Kurds,
Shia, Yazidis, and anyone who does not believe in they believe and submit to
the self-declared caliph.
Erdogan, Turkey’s most polarizing politician, alienated 45%
of the Turkish people and is attempting to export his brand of politics outside
Turkey. He is following a policy that punishes dissent, stokes sectarianism,
and fuels civil strife. He is a destabilizing force who aided in the murder of
nearly 100,000 Syrians who were killed on the hands of armed groups and offered
the Syrian government cause to kill the other 100,000 people. He ought to be
held responsible for killing Turkish protesters and aiding genocidal killers in
Iraq and Syria.
____________
* Prof. SOUAIAIA teaches at the University of Iowa. His
most recent book, Anatomy of Dissent in Islamic Societies, provides a historical and theoretical
treatment of rebellious movements and ideas since the rise of Islam. Opinions
are the author’s, speaking on matters of public interest; not speaking for the
university or any other organization with which he is affiliated.
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